Telescopic ladders



June 24, 1958 J. F. ROBERTS 2,840,290

TELESCOPIC LADDERS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 3l, 1954 Ill INVENTOR.

`JOH N F ROBERTS June 24, 1958 i J. F. ROBERTS 2,840,290

TELESCOPIC LADDERS Filed March 3l, 1954 2 SheetS-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JOHN F ROBERTS BY TIL-11 2,840,290 ICC Patented June 24,-1958 TELESCOPIC LADDERS John F. Roberts, Portland, Oreg., assigner to Eric Ladd, Portland, Oreg.

My invention relat to telescopic ladders and isV particularly concerned with fixed installations of such devices adapted for use in connection with motor vehicles, bunk beds, sleeping berths or the like.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide an extensible ladder construction which may be incorporated as a part of associatedv constructions to be movable to and from operative position as desired'.

A further object is to provide a construction of the type outlined which is a unitized assembly including a combined mounting and housing assembly' to secure the device while in operative position and to house and protect the device while not in use.

Another object is to provide av ladder having unique and ingenious features of telescopically related elements by whichI a maximumoperative length is' achieved with a minimum of folded or telescoped dimension.

Still another object is to provide a construction of the type indicated which is particularly adapted for securenient to present constructions of motor cars, trailers, berths, buildings or the like so as to present an accessory or attachment which may be readily applied or removed and which requires no special tools or skill in such attachment or removal or in adjustment from operative to inoperative position.

The invention provides for easy laccess to luggage carriers on pleasure cars and to material carrying racks on commercial cars. The ladder is telescoped Within a master frame while not in use and is easily extended from the master frame, reaching to the ground, while in use. Means provide for attachment of the frame to the top of the vehicle similar to a luggage carrier. The device may also be used as an attachment for bunk beds, berths in railroad pullmans and numerous `other appropriate relationships. The ladder is complete within itself comprising a unitized combination of frame and telescopic legs operating in connection therewith and it is adapted for various uses.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claim. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specie embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts through the several figures and in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the telescopic ladder of the present invention in operating position, showing a fragment of the top of a vehicle to which it is attached.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1, taken as indicated by the arrows of line 2*-2 of Figure l. I

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional taken on line 3 3 of Figure 2, but showing the legs of the ladder in their storage position within the master frame.V

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view, taken through .one side of the ladder on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view, taken as indicated by the arrows of line 5-5 of Figure l, illustrating the hinge mechanism. Y r f Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section view, taken on line 6 6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a detail elevational view, taken as indicated by the arrows of line 7-7 of Figure 6.4

Figure il is a detail View, taken as indicated bythe arrows of line 8-8' of Figure 3, illustrating the lockingl means for holding the ladder in storage position. e

Figure 9 illustrates the telescopic ladder mounted directly to a luggage carrier.

Figure l0 illustrates the ladder mounted to the upper i bed of a berth or bunk bed.

Figure 11 is a further illustration' of the ladder'mounted to a bunk or berth bed. l

Referring now tothe drawings, specifically toFig'ure'/ 1, my new and improved telescopic `ladder comprises a frame A, including channel side rails 2V connected at one end by a channel end rail 3 and at their opposite ends by flat bars 4. This frame maybe mountedk to thetop of vehiclesl by adjustable legs 5, which may be threaded into the bosses 6 forming part of the frame".

Located on the lower ends of the legsare the usual vacuum cups-7. I preferably wish to have these legs adjustable either as illustrated, or by some other method so that the frame of the ladder can be mounted at' the proper elevation in regards to'the'topT of the' vehi e. r[he 'frame may also be tied down by thev turiibuc'llcle` "nits of the vehicle.

The ladder itself includes two sections 10 and 11, the section 11 being slidable within the section 10, as best illustrated in Figure 4. The side rails 10 of the section 10 are each of channel form with a reverse longitudinal bend or leg 12 to which the rungs 13 are ixedly secured by welding or other means at 14. The legs of the section 11 consist of channels 15 disposed oppositely to the respective channel 10 and to which the rungs 16 are secured. The channels 15 of the section 11 telescope within the channels 1li of the section 10.

The ladder section 10 is pivotally connected to a subframe 17 having arms 18 and 19, which are adapted to slide or telescope within the frame A. The upper rung 20 of the section 10 is hingedly connected to the header bar 21 of the sub-frame 17 by the bearings 22, which form part of the said header. The sub-frame 17 slides within the side frames 2 and between the transverse flat bars 4, as best illustrated in Figure 6. A stop 23 on each of the arms 18 and 19 prevents the sub-frame from being pulled out of the main frame. When the sections 10 and 11 of the ladder are in storage position, as illustrated in Figure 3, they are held in this position by theV springs 24 which engage the base bar 25, holding the ladder within the main frame.

Referring to Figure 9, lillustrate my new and irnproved telescopic ladder A secured to the carrier C. In Figure 10 the vacuum cups 7 are eliminated and special brackets 26 secure the ladder assembly to the upper bunk or berth 27. In Figure 1l, I illustrate the frame A having an additional cross member 28 forming part thereof. This member is pivotally connected to the rail 29 of the bunk or berth by the pivot bolt or pin 30.

I will now describe how my new and improved telescopic ladder is operated. Referring to Figure 3, the operator lifts the springs 24 from engagement with the base plate 25 of the section 11 of the telescopic ladder. The operator then pulls the said base plate and section towards him away from the frame A until the sub-frame 17 reaches the position shown in Figures l, 2 and 6. He then lowers the ladder to the position shown in Figure l. The stop 23 of the sub-frame 17 will prevent the t, 3 l s same from being pulled out of the main frame A. `Stops are provided between the sections 10 and 11, not here shown, to limit the distance that the section 11 can be pulled out of,sectiony10. t t t It has been found` that there need be no lock between the sub-frame 17 and the main frame A while in the position shown in Figures l, 2 and 6 as the weight of thev ladder binds this frame within the channels 2, preventing any movementinwardly As the ladder is folded, the sections 10 and 11 are raised to a horizontal position and` pushed into the frame A where they telescope to the position shownin Figurel 3.

In Figure 11` the frame isy pivotally mounted on the bunk 28 by` a cross rai129 and pivot pin 30. The frame A may thus pivot ninety degrees to a vertical position from a horizontalposition. Various means of raising or lowering'the sections 10 `and 11 within the main frame A, asA `for instance the CabIearrangement 31 could be usedso that 4the party in the upper bunk or berth could reel up `the said sections within the main frame A.

Although a certain specific embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed, it is obvious that `manygmodifications thereof are possible. The invention,

therefore, is not to be restricted except in so far as is necessitated by the prior `art and by the spirit of the appended claim.

I claim: n Y

A telescopic ladder structure comprising a at elongate mainframe including spaced side members constituted by inwardly open channels open at one end and closed at the other end, means for positioning said main frame substantially horizontally, a relatively short subframe including spaced side members constituted by in- 4 t wardly open channelsxslidably nested in said main frame side channel members, said subframe having pivot means on the end thereof corresponding to the open channelv ends of said main frame, ,a first ladder section including legs and rungs connected to the pivot means of the subframe, said subframe and legs slidably nesting insaid side channel members of said main frame, said legs being constituted by channel-like members with the rungs disposed along one side thereof, said subframe extending substantially beyond the extremity of the channeled main frame when the subframe is fully extended, stop means on the side channels of the subframe to prevent the subframe from being completely withdrawn from the main frame, a second ladder section slidably in the legs of said iirst ladder section and the side channels of said subframe, and means on the main frame for releasably engaging an end of the second ladder section for retaining the subframe and telescoped ladder sections within the main frame.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 283,391 Hart c Aug. 21, 1883 306,974 Stowe Oct. 21, 1884 2,109,571 Le Boeuf Mar. l, 1938 2,621,836 McMiller Dec. 16, 1952 2,642,217 Jennings June 16, 1953 2,647,677 Reed Aug. 4, 1953 2,659,902 Fitzgerald Nov. 24, 1953 2,670,747 Schmiege Mar. 2, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 679,453 France Apr. 14, 1930 

